• Caretaker minister says eight suspects captured while trying to flee
• Police under pressure as road blockades near Zaman Park irk citizens

LAHORE: As the 24-hour deadline given by the Punjab government to Imran Khan to hand over the alleged 30-40 terrorists hiding in his house ended at 2pm on Thursday, the Lahore police received no order to launch the proposed operation till late in night.

On the other hand, provincial caretaker Information Minister Amir Mir said police would send a ‘delegation’ to search Mr Khan’s residence on Friday (today), Dawn.com reported.

Police authorities were making desperate attempts to avoid media queries about the factors leading to the delay in the operation.

“No decision has yet been taken to launch police operation for the arrest of suspects from the residence of the PTI chief,” Punjab police chief Dr Usman Anwar told Dawn at 10pm.

Besides, police claimed to have arrested eight suspects, wanted in connection with violence on May 9, when they were fleeing Mr Khan’s residence.

Mr Mir, in a statement, said these ‘terrorists’ were involved in the attack on the Corps Comm­ander House in Lahore on May 9.

“The police have arrested eight suspects when they were trying to flee the PTI chairman’s residence,” SP Hasan Javid confirmed to media persons outside Zaman Park.

He said the suspects would be interrogated in cases lodged by the police pertaining to attacks on military installations and other properties.

Police had credible information that some 30 to 40 suspects involved in violent attacks were hiding at Mr Khan’s residence, the SP claimed. Following the intelligence and other reports, the police had raised security and made heavy deployment around Zaman Park.

Roads remain blocked

Several checkpoints were set up on key roads leading to Zaman Park in an apparent attempt to cut off Mr Khan from his support base. SP Javid claimed that some other suspects had made attempts to escape but abandoned the hope due to the presence of police around Zaman Park.

To a question about the possible police operation, he said police were awaiting orders from high-ups. “We are fully alert and would act shortly after receiving directions from our bosses,” the SP said.

The officer refused to disclose the identity of the suspects arrested from Zaman Park saying police would present them before media to share further details soon after completing the interrogation.

About the delay in the operation, a source in the police said that tremendous pressure mounted on the Lahore police after the 24-hour deadline ended on Thursday evening. The Safe City Authority received too many public calls about the nuisance they faced because of the closure of roads leading to Zaman Park due to the heavy deployment of police force around the posh locality where Mr Khan resides.

Police deployment

Hundreds of police personnel, including the heavy contingent of anti-riot force, were deployed around Zaman Park. The sources said that on Wednesday only 15 PTI workers/supporters were guarding the chairman’s residence when the police began to surround it.

After the end of the 24-hour deadline, the number of PTI workers was reduced to a few, giving the police a favourable position to launch the operation without facing stiff resistance. Despite all these factors, the delay in this respect has caused embarrassment to the Lahore police’s high-ups when they received no instructions regarding the proposed operation to arrest the suspects from the PTI chief’s residence.

‘Nonsensical allegations’

Meanwhile, Mr Mir said in a tweet that Mr Khan’s latest allegations about the deaths and injuries of civilians in the May 9 incidents are nonsensical because the government had categorically ordered the Punjab police not to open fire on protesters.

He said Mr Khan’s allegation that 25 civilians were martyred and hundreds injured due to police firing is not a “white lie but a black lie”.

Published in Dawn, May 19th, 2023